Naruto Ninja Storm Generation's Bold New Territory

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Think you know the story of Naruto? Think again.

By Richard George

I'm a fan of Naruto, but something about the games based on the anime and manga has troubled me - there are no surprises. Much of what I experience in the video games is very much what I've read or watched before. I feel like I'm going through the motions of something very familiar to me. The same goes for many licensed games, really. Fortunately, with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, developer CyberConnect2 breaks that tradition.

Generations is, as you might expect, a summation of the series thus far. The Naruto series has two distinct eras - a first part featuring a young Naruto, and then the "Shippuden" storyline, which tracks Naruto's adventures a couple years later. Generations will encompass both, featuring one of the largest rosters ever in a Naruto game.

The breaking of tradition comes in how CyberConnect2 is going to tell those stories. The manga and anime predominantly focus on Naruto and his journey through life. The story mode in Generations will certainly allow players to work through the game as Naruto, but now, for the first time, other characters independent stories can be told.

Players will be able to experience the supporting cast's adventures as they run parallel and intersect with Naruto's. These stories have never been fully told before, and therefore will debut in Generations. In fact, 60 minutes of original anime content - produced by the same studio that makes the current Naruto television series - have been commissioned for this game. Unfortunately we'll have to wait to see who will be featured - CyberConnect2 wasn't talking.

Unique, original storyline content isn't all that's being brought to Generations. The development team has been refining the battle system, particularly with control. Substitutions are now activated with their own buttons, and various UI components are being tweaked to make the experience more accessible and logical to both new and veteran players alike.

While getting a sense for Generations' new features and playing a demo of the game - which at its core retains the strong mechanics laid down in previous Ninja Storm games - I spoke with Hiroshi Matsuyama, the president and CEO of CyberConnect2. Matsuyama's focus with Generations was making sure that it represented the wishes and interests of the players. He noted that if the fans want something, they should make their voices heard in places like IGN's comments.

Remembering a comment from a previous Generations article, I asked Matsuyama if character creation would ever come to the Ninja Storm series. I had just seen that idea in Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi. Could that come to Generations?

Matsuyama seemed interested, but said the reality of a licensed game makes that sort of mode extremely unlikely. He did say, however, that the more the fans want something like that, the more he's able to make the case to Naruto's licensors.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is very much what you'd expect from a Ninja Storm game, but that's not a bad thing. CyberConnect2 long ago crafted a fighting mechanic that was both easy to play while still retaining a sense of skill and entertainment. The notion that the series will now forge into new territory with the franchise is incredibly exciting, meaning any Naruto fan will want to check it out.